The Loved Ones
by proudtobegleek
Summary: Mary makes the heartbreaking decision to leave Francis and accept Thomas' offer to marry him. How can you marry one man when your heart longs for another? Every time they meet again, their chemistry seems to become stronger and stronger. It's only a matter of time until things collapse.
1. Chapter 1

**AN**: From the moment I started watching Reign, I was hooked. I have a soft spot for these kinds of series/books/films... and this was no exception.  
I still don't know whether I prefer Frary or Mary x Sebastian, both have chemistry and both are interesting pairings. For this story however, I decided to go with Frary, and a hint of Thomas x Mary (although I don't ship that). There's a lot of angst in this chapter, so be warned. I did't want it to turn out this angsty, blame my fingers for not wanting to stop writing these things.

I hope you enjoy this story and please, let me know what you thought!

Also ideas and suggestions are always welcome, as I am just going with this story, I haven't planned it out yet.

Thank you and enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 1: If I could change your mind Francis

_Francis_

Ever from the moment they met, Francis had known she was special. Of course, that vision was kind of blurred, ever since that very moment had happened about 13 years ago and he'd been too young to realize such things. Now however, being eighteen years old and laying eyes on her again after all this time, she still looked as beautiful as he could vaguely remembe. Her hair was still long and brown, beautifully braided and nurtured with the greatest care. Her smile was still as enchanting as it had been when he was five years old. And her eyes, those deep hazel eyes, which captured him every single time, were still just as gorgeous. Through the years, she'd grown to be a young woman even though she wasn't an adult yet, and he couldn't help but fall in love with her all over again.

Francis felt like he was the luckiest man on earth. It wasn't like he could choose the girl he wanted to marry, that had been a decision made by his parents years ago. He felt lucky that his bride-to-be was Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, as she was probably the best he could ever get.

His desire to make her his wife only grew when she resided at the castle and they got the chance to grow closer towards each other. Evidently, a lot had changed ever since they were children, but still, Francis recognized the adventurous and active spirit she used to have when she was five. He discovered she loved to ride horses and she still loved playing games with the younger boys. She wasn't afraid to climb trees and at formal events, she'd dance like no one was watching. Of course people were, Francis couldn't keep his deep blue eyes off of her.

Unfortunately, not all odds were in their favor. As they grew closer, slowly but surely it started to become clear that their marriage wasn't going to happen. King Henry II, Francis' father, blew off the marriage, finding an alliance between Scotland and France not strong enough. It wasn't hard to find the missing puzzle piece when one evening, all of the sudden, Mary was knocking on his door, her eyes distant, like she wasn't being herself.

"Mary…" Francis' voice sounded worried, "What happened… Are you alright?" he took a step closer, wanting to pull her in for a hug but Mary backed away. She put a hand in between them, gesturing towards him to stay back. "Are you okay?" he repeated himself.

He could see the queen sigh and nod slowly, "I am." He voice cracked, making it clear that she was not okay.

"Why don't you come in, talk to me about it?" Francis suggested, offering her a hand, but she refused to take it. To his surprise, she did follow him inside his room. The boy coughed awkwardly, suddenly feeling nervous. The usual energetic and always happy Mary was looking like the complete opposite and he didn't like it one bit. Francis closed to door behind them, offering them some privacy, and sat down on his huge bed. She followed him and sat down right next to him.

"I'm leaving." She said quietly, her voice almost as soft as a whisper. It was clear she'd troubles finding the right words. No matter how soft she said them though, they hit Francis _hard_. "W-what… What do you mean, you're _leaving_?" he asked, although he had a feeling that he knew what was going on. He had seen it happening in front of his eyes and the worst thing was, that he couldn't do one thing about it.

"He's offered me to marry him." The girl said, her eyes avoiding Francis'. Once again, the words hit him like a thunder strike, making him feel completely numb. "If I marry him, he'll make sure my country is safe. I'll be safe. Our countries will be strong together. And he'll send troops to defend Scotland from England first thing in the morning." Mary went on, her voice sounding soft like satin but at the same time very vulnerable. The blond prince tried to catch her eyes but she kept avoiding his. "I have no choice." She whispered.

Francis whished he knew what to say. Usually, he was pretty good with words, which was a good feature for a future king but at that moment he was taken aback. He had expected something like this to happen although he had been hoping that it wouldn't. "What… What about _us_?" he asked her, his voice almost as vulnerable as hers had been.

The dark haired girl looked up and their eyes finally met, dark brown crossing clear blue. "I-… I don't know Francis." She bit her lip and softly touched his cheek. He leaned into her hand, closing his eyes and enjoying the warm feeling of her skin against his. "I have to go to Portugal, I can't stay here. You know how I feel about you." her hand dropped in her lap but Francis grabbed it and squeezed it softly. Her words swirling around in his head like a rollercoaster. "He… won't ever be able to replace you." she finally said, looking at their linked hands.

Francis sighed and put their connected hands up to his lips, gently putting a soft kiss on her knuckles as he tried to figure out what to say. He didn't want her to leave France. He wanted to tell her he'd marry her, no matter what his parents said. That they could elope, forget about the throne and all their troubles. But he just _couldn't_. He couldn't bear the thought of the disappointment, the shame and the disapproval of his parents and the rest of the court. Besides, it was his duty to defend and care for his country, leaving it behind like that wouldn't make it worth living. He tried nonetheless to change her mind, he couldn't let her go without at least giving it a try. "Please. I beg you Mary." He said, his free hand grabbing her other hand, making her look at him. "Please, stay. I-I… promise you I will be able to fix this. Somehow, I'll find a way to convince the king. We've been engaged since we were little, not that that means anything. But honestly, for the past few weeks, I've really gotten to know you all over again. I was able to fall in love with you all over again and it was worth every second of my time." He explained, suddenly finding the right words to go on, "I see you don't love him." He said carefully.

Mary looked down and sighed. "Weren't you the one who told me love was irrelevant for people like us?"

This took Francis by surprise and even though she was right and a few weeks ago he had really said that, he now wished he'd never spoken those words. "Yeah well, time change things." He replied. Francis was starting to feel desperate now. He was losing her, she was slipping away and he couldn't do anything about it. He couldn't offer her a marriage right away, just now when her country needed it. "Mary…" he tried, putting a finger nimbly under her chin, making her look up so their eyes met again. "Tell me he'll make you as happy as I can make you and I'll let you go." He said intensely. He knew he was overreacting, although he felt like he was losing everything that had been giving him hope lately. He couldn't let her slip away without putting up a fight of sorts.

She didn't reply to him though, she simply stared into his eyes, clearly searching for the right answer.

Francis didn't have patience, he never had had and certainly not now. Time was running out and he needed to do _something_. Slowly, careful to not scare her away, he leaned closer, his finger still under her chin. There was a sort of energy surging through him that gave him the confidence to lean in even closer, their noses brushing lightly. Francis stopped breathing for a second, debating whether this was a good idea or if this was just going to push her away. He decided to just go with it and let their lips brush tenderly against each other. He kissed her gently, his hand making its way to her cheek to make sure she wouldn't pull away. He didn't want this feeling to end. Ever. He deepened their kiss, pushing closer towards her. Francis wanted to be as close to her as he possibly could. Mary didn't pull away so he saw that as a sign she didn't mind. The boy let his tongue trail carefully over her lips, deepening the kiss by letting his tongue twirl delicately around hers. He'd kissed girls before, but none of them had quite felt as soft, gentle and plainly amazing as Mary's. The sensation running through his body was making him feel like he was going to explode, it even made him a little dizzy for a moment. This happened to him every single time they made out, without it ever getting boring. His eyes were closed and he was completely losing himself in the sweet scent that was Mary, which is why he was surprised when he felt all the sudden a hard coldness against his lips. Mary has pulled back, the expression on her face sad but determined.

"No one will ever be able to make me feel like you can do." She whispered, "but I can't commit to the person that I love if he can't promise me safety for my country." She said, as if it were a studied text, "I made up my mind. It-… It's what my mother wants. I will leave tonight." She said, her voice barely audible now.

Francis whished he could pull her back, take her in his arms and assure her everything was going to be okay. But to be honest, he wasn't too sure it would be, that they would be. "And… There's nothing I can do to change your mind?" he asked, regretting it from the moment he'd said it.

"No you can't."

* * *

_Mary_

She'd said it. There was no way back now. She had been lying though. Of course he could change her mind, one more kiss like that and her pathetic strength would break. It was already unbearable. It took her every bit of restraint to not pull him in again and kiss him and forget about the world. Her lips were still tingling from the passionate kiss they'd shared only a few moments ago. But she couldn't. She'd said yes to Thomas. She knew it was her duty as Queen of Scotland to marry for her country, not with the man she'd really fallen in love with. It really was like Francis had said once before; love didn't matter to people like them. It'd only make them feel miserable.

Mary bit her lip for a second but then turned her expression into a softer look. She first had planned to leave him behind without any further explanation, hoping that that'd make the goodbye easier. But she knew it wouldn't now and seeing his pained expression, she just couldn't leave like that. "Francis… You'll always have a special place in my heart, never forget that." She said while getting up from the boy's bed. Gently, she leaned down and pressed a soft kiss on his forehead. "This is goodbye, but it's not forever." She promised, knowing they'd meet again on certain occasions.

Mary longed for that one last kiss but she didn't give in, in stead she tried to smile at him, although it was one of the hardest things she'd ever had to do and turned around, leaving his room, hear heart wrenching painfully in her chest.

* * *

Hours later, Mary found herself sitting next to her soon-to-be husband, in a carriage that would bring them to their ship. Soon, she would be in Portugal and she'd have to learn how to speak the language. She couldn't reign over a country if she didn't even speak the main language. Many things were going to change and she wasn't sure she was all that happy about it. Mary bit her lip, closed her eyes and tried to make the storm of thoughts to leave her head. It was driving her nuts.

"Are you al right, my love?" Thomas asked gently.

There was no doubt that the soon-to-be king of Portugal was a real charmer and genuinely seemed to care about his fiancée. Even though they actually barely knew each other, she did feel comfortable around him. Not as comfortable as around Francis, but it could've been way worse and she realized that. "Yeah… Just a headache. It's the nerves, I guess." She lied, although the nerves might have had something to do with it.

"I'll take care of it." The man spoke, turning his head so he could look at Mary closely, "Our chef has an amazing recipe, which cures all illness. It has always helped me in the past." He said with a bright smile.

Mary smiled a little and nodded, "Thank you, that's very kind of you." she replied. He grabbed her hand and squeezed softly in it. It reminded her of how Francis had grabbed her hand and for some reason, she felt tears welling up in her eyes. _No. Mary, no._ She thought firmly to herself, the girl turned her head and started to stare to the landscapes flashing by, at least that way she could avoid Thomas' curious eyes. She was not going to show him there was something wrong, let alone let him know she was already missing France and the prince.

* * *

**AN**: I really hope you enjoyed this! Make sure to let me know if you did, and also if you didn't. Thank you for reading and have a good day!


	2. Chapter 2

**AN**: Hello everyone again! If you're still reading this, thank you! I'm still hooked to these series and Frary. The last episode almost killed me with their cute (and hot) scenes. Yep.

I wanted to say one little thing here. I want to emphasize that this is an Alternate Universe. It started like the series, because there's were I got my inspiration from, but from now it's all my imagination. Things might not be right with the real history. Like, I honestly don't know how those treaties and alliances worked in detail. This is just my fantasy. Please don't kill me if something isn't historically correct!

I also realized that in the previous chapter I'd been writing Thomas in stead of Tomas, I'll fix that soon! :) If you find other errors, please let me know! I don't have a beta.

That being said, I hope you enjoy this chapter. There is some fluff ;)

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Chapter 2: Back to you

**Mary**

Mary was busy. And that was an understatement. If she wasn't running around trying to pick the right flowers (which had to be carefully chosen as their complete wedding was themed), she was heading to her own personal Portuguese teacher, trying to make her way through the difficult and unfamiliar new words. Being so busy was a good thing though, it was a way to escape the many thoughts that seemed to pester her mind deep at night in her dreams. For a few days, Francis was very far in the back of her mind. Not that she'd forgotten about him, of course not, but she had a distraction, for which she was glad.

And then there was also the organization of the engagement party because of course, which was a festivity that had to happen as well. Any excuse for a party seemed to be a good one. It was quite an expensive affair, knowing they'd be inviting kings, queens, princes and princesses from all over the Continent. Of course, Mary had her servants to help her but she was a perfectionist and most of the time, she wanted to do things her way. Fortunately, her friends from Scotland had voyaged along on the trip to Portugal. Mary couldn't possibly express how thankful she was for their presence, honestly, she'd be lost without them. Sure, king Tomas was nice to her but she would feel very alone without people from her country. Her kind of people. The people who understood her language and knew what her true feelings were.

One day, the five of them are sitting in Mary's private room, writing invites whilst sitting in a circle and gossiping. Mary had wanted to write the invites herself, together with the help of her friends, as she found those extremely important. Every invite needed its personal touch, according to her. And it was a good excuse to catch up with her girls.

"Owww, my hand hurts." Greer complained, dropping the pen she had been holding for way too long. Mary looked up sympathetically, "You can stop if you want to, I don't want you to feel obligated to do this." She offered, but Greer shook her head. "Oh no, that's fine. I'll just take a brief pause and then go on." The beautiful blonde shrugged.

Mary smiled and ticked off another name of her list, going to the next one, her breath stopping for a few seconds.

"Mary… What's wrong?" Kenna asked, stopping with writing so she could check why Mary was taken aback all of the sudden.

Mary's eyes blinked and then she looked at her friend, "I'm okay, nothing's wrong." She sighed, "It's just… I've come to Francis' name." she shrugged, pointing at the name written down on her list.

Kenna, who was sitting right next to Mary, put her hand supporting on the girl's arms and shrugged, "You know Mary, we all know how you feel. You can talk to us if you feel the need to." The other girls nodded in agreement. Mary bit her lip, she knew she could trust these girls, but she wasn't too sure she could trust the walls in this new castle. Tomas had been wonderful but did he really believe she'd fall in love with him that easily, forgetting Francis just like that? If he believed that, he was pretty naïve. "It's okay. I'm just going to invite him… I can't invite his family and just leave him out." She shrugged, "It'll be fun."

The girls laughed a little although it might have been a sour laugh. Mary was playing a dangerous game.

* * *

**Francis**

"Thank you, Oliver. You can go." Francis said, smiling at the servant who was handing him a letter. The servant bowed and quickly scooted away. Francis grinned softly, he wished the servants would be more talkative. It seemed like they were constantly scared of him or anyone of the royal court really, and Francis found that absurd. He and his family were good people, they fought for justice and they treated their staff well. Fear was an ugly thing.

The blond prince walked to his wooden desk and sat down, inspecting the letter in his hands. It had a beautiful handwriting on it;

'_To Francis _

_ a friendly invitation"_

Curiously, the boy opened the envelope and quickly read the letter. He felt a lump being formed in his throat as he read what kind of invitation it was. Engagement. Mary. Tomas. Francis' expression hardened and he had troubles not tearing the piece of paper into little tiny pieces. Of course he'd known she was going to marry the bastard but this made it even more real. He was about to throw the paper on the ground when he heard a knock on his door. The boy got up to go and open up but Sebastian was faster, suddenly standing in his room. "Bash…" Francis groaned, a little more arrogantly than he intentionally wanted it to sound.

"Am I coming at a bad time?" he asked, his blue eyes looking curiously at his half-brother.

Francis sighed and shook his head, "No, no it's all fine." Bash raised an eyebrow and took a step closer, "You don't fool me little brother, what happened?" he asked, watching the letter still in Francis' hand curiously.

Francis bit his lip and handed the letter to Sebastian, "The lovebirds are throwing an engagement party." He said, his tone dry and distant, throwing his hands in the air.

Sebastian quickly scanned the letter and without permission, he fumbled up the now ruined piece of paper. "You know as well as I do that they aren't _lovebirds_." The boy said, shaking his head, "Are you going?"

Francis bit his lip, "Do I have a choice?" he sounded indifferent although nothing was less true. He wanted to go, he wanted to see her. Weeks of being separated had been killing him. The French court had dozens of beautiful women but no one could measure up to the feeling Mary had been giving him. He missed her and the only thing he wanted right now, was be at her side again. He knew that going to Portugal would mean he'd have to endure seeing the two of them being all lovey dovey even though he knew better. He wasn't too sure he could handle seeing them acting like that, even though that was all that it was. One big act.

"Not really. I guess I should come with you. Who else is going to keep an eye on you." Bash smirked jokingly, although his offer was serious.

"All right, then you're coming along. It's going to be fun." Francis grinned, although his tone was pretty sarcastic.

-.-.-.-

Two weeks later, Francis and his family arrived at the Portuguese royal castle, being welcomed by the prince and his fiancée. The king was too ill to welcome them personally and the queen wanted to stay beside her man. Francis' and Mary's eyes crossed but somehow, they stayed neutral. There was nothing more that Francis wanted than to go up there, grab her hand and press a soft and gentle kiss on the knuckles, but he knew that would cause her to be in trouble, so he didn't. He stayed nicely right next to his half-brother.

"Don't you think Tomas looks kind of old for her anyway?" Sebastian whispered, a crooked smile on his lips. It made Francis laugh softly too but he quickly went back to being formal and stiff when he saw the prince and the queen nearing.

"Ahh, Henry and Catherine, welcome." The prince said, bowing for Francis' parents, "And of course, Sebastian and Francis. Welcome in my country." The man said politely.

Inside, Francis was imagining several ways to punch this guy in the face, on the outside however, he was the coolness itself. He nodded politely and even smiled.

The Portuguese prince invited the whole party inside the castle, having grabbed Mary's hand. Mary didn't even look at Francis, which kind of struck him. She couldn't have already forgotten about him. Sebastian had noticed the look on Francis' face and poked him, "C'mon sourface, let's get this party started." He smirked, gesturing his brother to follow him towards the castle.

The room was filled with royal people from all over Europe. They must've arrived before Francis and his family had come. The French prince scanned the room with his eyes but he couldn't help but linger when he caught Mary's eyes. They stared back at him, expressionless. Honestly, it was driving the blond boy nuts. He wanted to talk to her, hell, he wanted to feel her, hear her, smell her. It didn't matter, he wanted her near him, but that seemed to be impossible. Tomas was constantly at her side, like a guard. "Why don't you just go up there and talk to her?" Sebastian suggested, grabbing a cup of wine from a table standing right next to them. Francis shrugged, "Tomas is not the kind of guy I want to talk to at this moment." He sighed.

Sebastian laughed and shook his head, "Understandable, but who says you have to talk to him?" The two brothers looked at each other knowingly. They didn't have the same mother, but they did share the same blood and always knew what the other was thinking. "You write a note, I'll distract little mister prince." Sebastian suggested. One more nod and their little mission was settled.

As Sebastian headed to the 'lovebirds', Francis turned around and spoke to a guard, asking him for a little piece of paper and something to write with. After having written a tiny note on a little piece of paper, he gestured to the same guard to come back.

"Can you give this to Mary please? It's kind of important." He asks, adding a bit of money, even though he knew it wasn't necessary. The guard smiled for a tiny second, then bowed and headed to the queen.

* * *

**Mary**

From the moment Mary had sent the invite to France, she'd been anxious and excited at the same time. There was nothing more she wanted than seeing the one person she actually loved to see but at the same time, there was the danger that they'd do things again like they had done the last time they'd met. Every time she thought about those last kisses they shared she felt the butterflies racing through her belly, but the aftertaste was sour. If Tomas noticed only one loving glance between the two of them, he would become anxious. It would put her and her country in danger and that was a risk she simply couldn't take. But then again, Mary was only human and when a guard neared her, handing her a note, she already knew whom it was.

The girl smiled respectfully at the guard and ignored Sebastian and Tomas talking politics. Subtly Mary unfolded the note and quickly read it;

'_Meet me at the beach, now. F'_

Mary bit her lip, she quickly scanned the room to look for a certain blond prince and when she found him, she nodded slightly, making sure he knew she was in on this. Mary hid the note in the flower box behind her and turned to the two men next to her talking about war ships and munitions. "Tomas, dear, could you excuse me for tonight. I'm not feeling quite well. I'm just tired really, I need some rest." She explained.

For a quick moment, Sebastian and Mary shared a knowing glance, Bash smiling at her because he knew what was going on. He even winked at her, which kind of caught her by surprise. She kept her pokerface though and looked at her fiancé. "Of course. Are you all right? Do you want me to send someone to your room to take care of you?" Tomas asked kindly. Mary shook her head, "No, that won't be necessary. Just a good night of sleep will do." The girl bowed and with that, she left the chamber.

Once having left the crowded room, she started walking fast, her pace determined and rapid. She needed to see him, she wanted to see him. It had been too long since they'd last spoken and she'd missed him. He might not have been constantly on her mind but that didn't mean she hadn't missed him.

Mary made her way through the castle, soon finding the exit towards the nearby beach. It was one of the not so many reasons she did kind of love it here in Portugal. Their castle was built right next to the sea. Not the most safe place for a royal family to reside, but they owned many other fortresses and castles as well. This was just the one they were residing at that point. The view was magnificent and it was Mary's favorite place to escape to when she needed it. Of course, that would be the place Francis wanted to meet up, what a coincidence.

Mary undid her shoes and held them in her hands as she entered the sand, not needing to look far to find the beautiful man she had been searching for. The brown haired girl headed towards the prince and bowed. "My lord." She greeted him with a smile.

Francis smirked and bowed too, but didn't seem to care about the polite greetings and habits. "Hello Mary, my beautiful Mary." He said, holding out his hand for her to grab it, "Walk with me?"

The queen smiled as well and grabbed his hand, the two of them starting to walk along the coastline, the bright lights around the castle slowly but surely fading into the background. "I've missed you." the blond confessed. Mary looked up at him and smiled, "I missed you too Francis, you can't even imagine." She sighed softly.

Francis looked at her, his expression suddenly serious, "Is he treating you well? Tomas, I mean."

Mary opened her mouth to speak but closed it again. She didn't want to talk about Tomas. Her time with Francis was limited and she wanted to enjoy it as much as she possibly could. It was nice of him though, that he'd cared about her like that. "He's been fine. Kind of possessive really but it's not like he's changed." She shrugged. Mary watched the see come and go, making sure they didn't go towards the water, as that would wet her dress and cause her troubles later on.

The sun was slowly fading in the horizon, leaving the sky to be an orangey purple and blue spectacle. It was as if this moment _had_ to be romantic and cliché. But it was nice. She liked it because it made Francis cerulean eyes look even brighter and bluer and she could lose herself in those deep pools of sapphire.

"I'm glad to hear that. If he ever dares to even point a finger at you, I will hurt him. That's for sire." Francis huffed, squeezing her hand gently.

Mary smiled and turned towards him, stopping with walking. She put her hand softly on his cheek, the hairs of his slight beard feeling prickly but nice against her skin, "You're so nice to me. I wish our fate would be different. I would rather marry you than anyone else in this world." She sighed honestly, her eyes staring deeply in his.

"If only you knew how many times I've imagined things to be different. My whole life, I've been thinking you and me would be a ruling king and queen, together. And in the matter of a few weeks, that's all changed. If I ever find a way to change things, will you let me?" Francis asked, leaning in into her hand.

Mary bit her lip and nodded, "Of course I would. But there is no way. I'm becoming the Queen of Portugal and Scotland. I can't see how anything can change that. I'm bound to a treaty now." The girl sighed, hating how they were talking about these kinds of things whilst the setting was so romantic and beautiful. "Francis… I've only got a few hours with you, if not less. Can we just… Can we enjoy each others presence?" the girl asked, dropping her hand and looking at the sunset.

Francis smiled and nodded, "Of course my queen. I just needed to make sure you would still choose for me if there were the possibility. Why don't we sit?" he asked courteously, letting go of her hand and pointing at the soft sand a bit further. Mary nodded and followed his footsteps before sitting down right next to him. Her dress was going to give away where she'd been but she figured those were troubles for later. Mary sat, pulled her knees up and put her arms around them. To her surprise, Francis scooted closer and together, they watched the sun set. She could smell his perfume as he was so close to her, he smelled really nice. This was more romance than she'd experienced in the whole of her life. Sure, she'd been kissing Francis before, she even shared a chaste kiss with Tomas, but this was really romantic. "I love sunsets so much." Mary sighed happily.

"Why is that?"

"Because they're so beautiful. And they mark the end of the day, a new day awaiting us. A new story, new beginnings, and things like that." Mary explained, "That's silly, isn't it? Don't laugh." She grinned even though she was laughing herself. Francis however, did laugh, "It's not silly, it's true. I love sunsets too, because after it, we're able to see the stars and the moon. I think it's really intriguing." He added, his eyes wandering from the setting sun to Mary.

Mary's breath stopped, her heart jumped and her blood was rushing through her veins like crazy. Francis' face was so close to hers, it was everything she'd been wanting for so long. She knew this was going to hurt her when he was gone again but at this point, she only wanted to get as much as she could. Mary was the one who initiated the kiss. She leaned in and pressed her lips against his, her hand landing on his hip. Her eyes closed and she couldn't be any happier. The girl deepened the kiss by opening her lips slightly, her tongue slowly trailing over his. She heard him whimper softly which encouraged her to go on. They moved together, everything feeling natural. Right. Francis fell down on his back and Mary crawled on him. She didn't know where this sudden confidence, this sudden lust, came from but she felt like she needed this. She needed him close and she needed it now. The girl grabbed his hands and pinned them down in the sand beside his head. Their kiss broke and Francis laughed, "Are you going to kill me now?"

Mary smirked and looked at how he was lying underneath her, completely helpless as she had him pinned down quite firmly. Or at least she thought, because then, with one swift motion, he turned the two of them around. They looked like puppies playing in the sand, only sexier.

"Gotcha!" Francis smirked, this time him being the one to pin the girl down to the ground, hands above her head. "Yeah, you got me. Are you going to kidnap me now?" she joked, although the idea was quite tempting. Francis laughed and shook his head, "Maybe. I might. But first, let me do this…" he leaned down and just like that, their lips were connected again. His tongue entered her mouth and just like that, she could taste the sweetness of his tongue. It was kind of minty and if she wasn't' so busy pulling his gorgeous blond locks, she would have wondered what he'd used to taste like mint. He grinded down on her and even though that was new territory, she really didn't want it to stop. Mary grabbed tighter unto him, trying to pull him even closer while their tongues battled for dominance.

When Francis, completely out of breath, leaned back a few inches, he smiled down at her. The sun had completely set and it was starting to get really dark around them, only the light of the moon shining down on them. Almost too dark for anyone to notice them now, or so they thought.

Who would've known one of the guards could see everything that was happening?

* * *

AN: Oh ow... What's going to happen next. Haha, I know because I've all worked it out now.

Please let me know what you thought and thank you for reading this! :)


	3. Chapter 3

AN: I'm back with another chapter! This time a bit fluff but mostly angst. Sorry, I couldn't help myself. I hope to add more fluff next chapter, but there needs to be some tension too huh! :) I try to update this story at least two times a week but I'm a uni student with quite the busy life. I'm making no promises guys.

I'd also like to point out again that this is completely AU. I apologize if things aren't completely historically correctly written, I try to make it like that but yeah, I'm not perfect.

I hope you enjoy! :)

* * *

Chapter 3: The Morning After

**Francis**

Their breaths were ragged. Hearts racing. Chilled skin. And blood running at speed of lightning through veins. They moved like one against each other, everything was perfect. The sun had completely set, leaving the two of them underneath a sky dimly lightened up by stars and the moon. It was a clear night, which only added to the previous romanticism of the setting. Francis leaned back, breaking the kiss and smiling down at the girl underneath him. God she was beautiful. The moonlight shone beautifully in her eyes, making them dark and mysterious. "You're beautiful, you know that?" Francis grinned on top of her. Mary laughed softly and seemed to blush as well, although it was hard to tell seeing as it was extremely dim outside.

"So you keep telling me." Mary replied softly, her hands resting around his neck. He loved it when she was running her hands through his blond locks. "Because it's true." He smiled, placing a soft kiss on her cheek. And then one on her temple. And on the tip of her head. One on the tip of her nose and lastly one more on her lips. Her hands ran through his hair again and Francis literally grinned softly against her lips.

Mary pulled back and raised a curious eyebrow, "Why are you laughing?" she asked. Francis just laughed a little more and shook his head, "I just really like it when you ruin my hair like that." He shrugged, not mentioning it turned him on like crazy. Mary laughed out loud as well now and messed his hair up completely, totally on purpose. "Too bad I can't really see you right now. I bet you look adorable." She grinned. Francis smirked and sat up straight, "Maybe we should be heading back before someone finds us. I don't want you to be in trouble." Francis sighed. Mary got up too and shook her head, "I'm careful. We won't get caught. Promise." Mary said quietly.

Slowly, Francis got up on his feet and offered a hand to his queen to help her get up as well. "I hope we won't be. But let me repeat myself, if Tomas ever even points a finger at you, he'll regret it." Francis said, his expression suddenly all rigid again.

Mary looked up at him and stood on her toes to give him a quick peck on the lips, "I'm stronger than you think." She said calmly.

Francis grinned softly, "Is that so huh?" The blond boy grabbed her by her waist and started to tickle her all over her sides and belly. He had a strong and firm hold so it was impossible for her to escape. Even though she was wearing a lot of layers and a corset, his plan did seem to work as the girl laughed hysterically. "You won't stand a chance against me, your Grace." Francis smirked, holding her even tighter against his body. He turned her around in his hold, stopping tickling her and put his finger on her soft, red lips. "Sush, we shouldn't make too much noise."

Mary rolled her eyes, "It was you who assaulted me." She said mockingly, but then gently kissed his finger. But you're right, we should be getting back." She sighed.

Francis looked into her eyes and smiled, kissing her one last time. He grabbed her hand and guided her through the darkness back towards the castle. It seemed so surreal, them, sneaking around. Just a few weeks ago, they were engaged. Now that was all ruined and Francis started to realize really what all of this meant. Sneaking around like this was fun for now but he wouldn't be able to do this forever. Soon, Mary would be Tomas' wife, his queen, Queen of Portugal. Sneaking around with her would be impossible and above all that, deadly dangerous. You didn't mess with another country's king. He felt so powerless. As long as his father was being as stubborn as he was, there was no way they would be the ones getting married. Francis could see, he could feel that Mary was never going to be truly happy with Tomas and that made him angry. Someone like Mary deserved to be loved and treated like a real queen.

As they walked together in the sand, they held hands until the lights of the castle became too bright and close. "It might be a good idea to let go of my hand here and split up." Mary suggested, not wanting Francis to get in trouble.

Francis looked at her sourly, "I don't want to let go of you." he said, his heart beating fast. If only he could have just a few more moments with her, steal a few more kisses. Mary seemed reluctant to let go as well, as she placed her hand on his cheek yet again and pulled him closer for one more, soft and quick kiss. "See you tomorrow, Francis." She said, "Thank you for the wonderful evening." The girl bowed, turned around and quickly headed to the castle. Francis sighed and watched her go, leaving him standing there on his own. Damn that Tomas.

* * *

**Mary**

Once again, Mary's pace was determined and fast. It seemed like it was always like that in this castle. Either she was running around to arrange things for the marriage or she was trying to get at her destination fast, in hopes she wouldn't get caught. This time it was the latter. Tomas had been wonderful but things could change fast. Whispers and gossips had been spread. Apparently he'd been desperate to find himself a queen. Mary wasn't dumb, in fact, she was incredibly smart and she knew, or maybe even feared that everything about Tomas could change incredibly fast. It was for the best that he didn't know anything about Mary sneaking and fooling around with the precious blond prince.

The girl entered the castle and to her surprise, didn't run into anyone. It seemed that everyone was still at the welcome celebration. Tomas was probably still there as well but that didn't make her walk any less careful. Shoes still in her hands, she tiptoed through the cold hallways of the castle. When she finally reached her room, she quickly got rid of her dress and corset, feeling relieved to be able to just put on a nightgown. She noticed her dress was dirty, it was covered in sand. Mary bit her lip and decided to hide the dress for now. There wasn't much she could do about it straightaway and if one of the maids found it in the morning, questions might be asked. She put it underneath her bed, hoping that no one would find it. Mary sighed and crawled into her bed, crawling up in a ball. If only Francis was there to hold her close.

The next morning, Mary felt weary as she woke up from a restless night of sleep. Her dreams had been tormenting her. Somehow, Tomas seemed to change into a monster that tried to take her down. It was ridiculous and she knew that, but it wasn't like she could control her dreams. She'd rather dream about Francis if that were the case. The sun had just started to rise, which meant it was quite early. Half of the castle would still be asleep and knowing that the welcome party had probably been going on a few more hours, they wouldn't wake up anytime soon.

Silently, Mary go out of her bed, stretched her arms and back, making the joints crack softly. She sighed and opened the curtains that dimmed her room. Suddenly she remembered the dress. The sand was easy to get rid off, but there were stains she didn't know how to remove. To get rid of the dress would be a shame. She could probably come up with some kind of excuse later on. For now, she just wanted to enjoy the afterglow she still seemed to have from the night before. The time she'd spent with Francis had been wonderful and only thinking about their kisses and his soft, gentle touches gave her chills. She felt like she was going to explode, like her heart was going to beat right out of her chest. If only she could talk to someone about this.

Mary bit her lip. She could tell her friends, she knew she could trust them with her heart but if anyone of the castle heard them, she'd be doomed.

The girl sighed and started to get ready herself. Sooner or later the girls would be at her door to help her get ready for the day, helping her to pick out a dress and braiding her hair. She'd ask them then if they'd like to go for a picnic outside.

Which is how she found herself, a few hours later, sitting on a big blanket, away from the castle, surrounded by her four friends.

"What did you want to tell us?" Greer asked curiously. Mary laughed because this felt good. It felt like the old days where she and her girl friends would gossip and chat all day, being carefree. Mary just longed for being able to spill all her feelings and everything that had been going on in her life. She'd been keeping it inside for too long.

Mary took a sip from the juice she was drinking and smiled mysteriously. "I did something bad." She sighed, looking down at the cup she was holding.

Kenna laughed and shook her head, "Let me guess. You've been seeing Prince Charming."

Mary looked up in surprise, "How… How do you know that?" she asked, genuinely taken aback.

Aylee shrugged and shared a knowing glance with the other ladies. "We've all seen how the two of you look at each other."

Mary sighed again, this time a little more dismayed. She'd really believed that they'd been extremely subtle and careful. "Was it that obvious?" the brunette asked insecurely.

Lola shook her head and smiled, "We just know because we've known you all our lives. Besides, we knew you cared about Francis a lot more to start with. It doesn't surprise me you've been seeing him privately." She smiled, "I don't think Tomas has noticed though." She shrugged.

This made Mary feel instantly better. They were always so supporting of her and always found a way to comfort. "Thanks girls. I don't know what I'd do without you guys." Mary confessed. She grabbed one of the grapes she'd brought for the picnic and ate it slowly. "I don't know what to do though."

Kenna looked at her friend and smiled, "Do you… Do you think you love him?" she asked curiously.

Mary looked at her and the excited expression on her face, it made her giggle like a little child. "I-… I don't know. I certainly like him but whether it's love, I'm not sure yet. I just know that every time I think of him, every time I see him, I feel like everything's right. It just fits." She spilled.

The girls giggled altogether, Aylee being the loudest, "Mary, you're so head over heels, just admit it." She grinned playfully.

Mary bit down on her lower lip. Was she? She'd known him since she was five so it wasn't like he was a stranger to her. Still, they'd only been seeing each other like this for about a month now. Love was a very loaded word. "I don't' know Aylee… I might be?" she replied softly. The brunette was about to reply with a big smile on her lips when suddenly, a figure was nearing the group of girls.

"Your Grace." A low voice said. Mary looked up and recognized the voice of her fiancé. She stood up quickly and brushed off the dirt on her dress. "Tomas…" she said, making a little bow.

Tomas' face was expressionless. His usual smile wasn't there but he didn't look upset or angry either. "Can I have a word with you, Mary?" he asked flatly, making clear that the ladies weren't welcome anymore. Mary shot a short glance at her friends, letting them know it was okay.

Greer, Lola, Kenna and Aylee got up, all four of them looking a tiny tad worried. "I'll see you girls later." Mary smiled, waving sheepishly as they left Tomas and her alone.

"What's so urgent it can't wait until my brunch with the ladies is over?" Mary asked dryly, the undertone in her voice quizzical.

Tomas stood up straight, hands behind his back and expression still mysterious. "I wonder, Mary…" he asked, starting to walk a circle around her, "Are you feeling better?"

Mary bit her lip, this was not a good sign. "Yes, thank you for asking. I think it was just a little headache." She shrugged as innocent as she possibly could.

"Are you sure? I think you look a little pale."

"I am sure." Mary confirmed, "your concern for me is quite charming." The girl said, trying to sound like a fiancée should sound. Flirting wasn't her forte, but she could give it a try.

"Stop lying to me Mary." Tomas stood still, right in front of her, no sign of any softness in his appearance. His hands grabbed her upper arms, squeezing them rather painfully.

"Tomas…" the girl said almost soundlessly, "That hurts." She knew she was busted. He knew. Somehow he knew. Was it possible he'd found her dress? Maybe she'd be able to talk herself out of it. She looked him right in the eye, which asked a lot of courage from her, and didn't flinch. His hold on her didn't weaken though, he kept her in his hands.

"You were with him, weren't you?" the man almost growled, his voice as low as Mary could ever imagine. This was bad, very bad.

"I… I don't know what you're talking about. I was feeling ill, I went straight to bed." Mary lied, trying to be convincing.

Tomas' hold on her softened but he didn't let go of her either. "Stop lying to me. Mary." He huffed, his face only inches away from hers. "I know you were with him. We might not be married but you are my fiancée. You are supposed to be mine, only mine." His eyes were dark and gleaming. They frightened her. This wasn't the Tomas she knew. He leaned in closer toward her ear and whispered, "If I catch you one more time wandering around the beach, woods or whatever place, fooling around with him, there will be consequences."

Mary had stopped breathing, he was so close but not in a good way, she simply didn't dare to breathe. Mary bit her lip, she did that every time she was feeling nervous. Her mind told her to just nod innocently and promise him everything would be all right, but her heart was stronger. Her heart said to fight back, even though she knew it was a stupid thing to do.

"If you want me to be your queen, then treat me like one."

This seemed to take Tomas by surprise, as he raised one of his eyebrows for one slight second. "What have I done to mistreat you? Huh… Tell me. Because honestly, I don't know." Tomas snarled, his face still too close to be comfortable.

She knew he was right somehow. She didn't love him but he hadn't done anything wrong until now. Until _now_. "If you really took me as your equal, you wouldn't be holding me like this. You'd talk to me." Mary said flatly, knowing her argumentation wasn't the strongest.

Tomas let go of her and took a step back. "Better, Your Grace?" he asked, but the tone in his voice was quite sarcastic. He even made a slight bow. "Now… Let me get this clear. I don't want you near him. I don't even want to see or smell him." He didn't even realize it himself, but Mary noticed how he had started to raise his voice. "He will not be invited to our wedding. You won't see him again after he leaves this castle, understand?"

Mary felt her blood boiling in her veins, but what could she do? Yell at him? Queens weren't supposed to lose their temper. She couldn't help it though, "You can't possibly ask me to do that!" she huffed in disbelief.

"Watch me." Tomas said, grabbing her arm again and starting to pull.

"What are you doing? Stop it." Mary complained but he was stronger than she was physically. He dragged her over the grass field, away from the blanket, towards the castle. "Let go of me." Mary mumbled but he didn't let go. "Let go of me!" she repeated herself, this time almost screaming. They were close to the castle by now and Tomas' fingers were hurting her, leaving dark blue marks on her skin. "Tomas, stop! Please, let go of me." she was yelling now, slightly panicking.

"_Mary_?!"

A sudden voice sounded like an angel whispering in her ear. But it wasn't an angel, it was an astonished Francis with an expression of horror on his face. "Let go of her." He said, running towards the two of them.

Tomas softened the grip on her arm but didn't let go.

* * *

**Francis**

One moment he's walking and the next, he can hear yelling. And not just some screams. It was the familiar sound of a voice he'd recognize miles away. _Mary_, was the first thing that came up in his mind.

Then, all in a flash, he saw two figures standing close to each other, but not in a pleasant way. Not at all. His eyes widened as he saw the expression of pain and fear on her face and anger on his. "Mary!" he yelled, still a bit surprised, running to the two of them.

Without thinking, being as compulsive as he was, he used all his power to push Tomas away, making him fall back a few steps. While the other man tried to take everything in and recover from the surprise, Francis shot a short glance at Mary. She didn't seem hurt, not physically at least. Nonetheless, Francis stood protectively in front of her. "What's happening here?" he demanded quite dominatingly.

"Look who we have here." Tomas spit out revoltingly, "Isn't is prince charming."

Francis was surprised at the venomous tone underneath his voice. He looked confused at Mary for a second but it wasn't hard to solve the puzzle. _He knew._

"What happened?" Francis repeated himself, his hand on his back grabbing Mary's hand. This seemed to set off Tomas pretty badly as he took a step forward, standing close to Francis. "Let go of my queen." Tomas said, ignoring the previous question.

Francis didn't. "Only if you tell me what is going on here."

"You could tell me yourself." Tomas laughed dryly, shooting a short glance at his fiancée.

Francis' expression was hard and emotionless. He knew what was going on, no need to ask it again. Here he was, standing between the girl he loved, because that's what he did, he _loved_ her, and the man she was supposed to get married to. "That doesn't matter now. What matters is that you were hurting Mary. I can't allow that happening." Francis replied, squeezing the hand behind his back softly.

"That, prince Francis, is none of your business." Tomas growled, stepping closer.

"I'll make it my business. Don't challenge me, prince Tomas." Francis spat back.

"What are you going to do?"

Francis looked in the other man's eyes with pure hate. He was the one who'd taken everything from he he'd ever loved. How he would love to kill the bastard now. But he wasn't that cruel. "Nothing, as long as you leave Mary alone. I swear, if anything happens to her, if you even touch a hair of her, I will kill you." he said with a low voice.

"That will depend on your actions, Francis."

Francis let go of Mary's hand and put his hand cautiously on the handle of his sword. "We'll see about that." He groaned. The two men stood closely in front of each other, the tension in the air being deadly.

"Stop it." Mary suddenly said, saying something for the first time since Francis had showed up. " Francis looked surprised at her and so seemed Tomas. It was as if the two of them had forgotten that Mary was even there, even though this argument was completely about her. "Just stop." She said abruptly.

She stepped in front of Francis, looking at Tomas. "I … I apologize, Tomas, for what has happened. I promise you it won't happen again. You're my fiancé, things like that shouldn't happen ever again." She said.

Francis couldn't believe what he was hearing. Her words cut through him like a knife, like an ice-cold shower washing over him. Tomas looked down on the girl and looked at her, contemplating. "I'm willing to forgive you." he replied, letting go of the handle of the sword he'd had been holding onto the whole time Francis had been there. "But only if you promise me this will never happen again. If I catch you two again, you know what will happen."

Francis wondered what would happen, but he'd rather not think about it. The visions in his head weren't all that pretty. Mary grabbed the other prince's hand. She seemed to avoid Francis' eyes, which was another stab right through his heart. Tomas pressed his lips on her cheek, putting his hand protectively around her waist. "Now, if you'll excuse us, I want to spend some time with my soon-to-be wife." He pulled on her arm again, gently this time, to guide her towards the castle.

Mary's face was pokerfaced. Francis' expression was defeated, but mostly confused.

* * *

AN: A lot of tension, woooh. I already know what I'm going to do with next chapter. I hope you liked this one and make sure to let me know if you did. (or if you didn't, please do tell me too and why! It really encourages me to keep on writing.)


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